Marie Anita's Gluten Free Health Cafe

Writer Photographer Blogger Traveler. I like to get out and about and inform you of happenings both city and country, mainly of interest to babyboomers and families. If you liked my article please click LIKE or subscribe to me:)

Published April 29th 2017

Have you tried a completely free sugar free meal?

Marie Anita's Gluten Free Health Cafe is located in Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast Highway. Having just arrived from the airport I was famished and in need of some quality fresh food. I assumed this cafe would have all the normal cafe style food with a few offerings of GF dishes, but I was wrong. This cafe is more upmarket than the average shopping mall cafe and every meal on the menu is gluten free and sugar free. I ordered some sweet potato chips to start with. Then my meal of temph slice and piles of assorted shredded and chopped vegetables arrived. I thought it was a little overpriced as they were not prepared salads but just grated vegetables.

I enjoyed my meal apart from the plate it was served on. I cringed with every scrape of the knife on the terracotta plant pot saucer. I am not a rabbit and would have preferred a nice glazed pottery plate. My family ordered another salad meal and one of the children had bacon and egg soldiers, however the eggs were not runny and the toast was not cut into 'soldiers' for dipping into the egg.

I commented there was not much on the menu for children, but the reply from the waiter was "we do not really get children eating here". We were the only table having lunch. A short while after a man with two children came and sat nearby. With many youngsters being diagnosed celiac, perhaps they need to rethink their clientele.

The menu offers all day breakfast, with good variety including pancakes and dishes made of bacon, eggs, avocado and more. The lunch menu also includes some daily specials on the blackboard inside. Lunch is served form 12 noon to 2.30pm. Take away purchases are possible from the cabinet with muffins and cakes, salads and sandwiches. Many customers pop in for their organic coffee and loafs of artisan made GF bread.

All the food ingredients for Marie Anita's are organic and sourced locally. The menu offers choices that are vegan, vegetarian, or dairy-free and all options are gluten and sugar free. We tried a sugar-free apple muffin after our meal but did not like it. There was nothing wrong with it but we are so used to sugar that it would be a taste to get used to. There is a big selection of smoothies, coffee and teas, both dairy free and cows milk choices are available.

A range of gluten free bread is available to purchase here. Image by the writer.

Marie Anita's Gluten Free Health Cafe is open 7 days from 7am to 5pm. It is a good spot to have a coffee at the outdoor dining area covered by a veranda. There are outdoor blinds for rainy weather. I would go here again as I have to eat GF meals and it is handy when on holidays to go to a place you know. This is a good choice for residents or visitors to the Gold Coast on special diets or who simply like to eat healthy foods.